Statement of intent –

• What you want to explore?
• Why it matters to you?
• How you wish to develop your project?
• When and where you intend to begin your study?

Personal:

Within my work, I aim to explore the concept of identity through photography. Due to my deep interest in this subject, I believe I can create personal and expressive representations of self-portraits that capture my sense of self, as well as the way others perceive me differently. I find that no one truly knows me because I present a different version of myself depending on the people I am with. This is something that everyone experiences, as we all shift and adapt our personalities in various contexts. For me, identity in photography offers an insight into the photographer’s deeper understanding of themselves. Photography allows for multiple ways to explore identity visually, creating lasting images that resonate in a viewer’s mind. A photograph captures a more direct and immediate sense of who people are compared to written words or books. From my own personal experiences, I feel that developing my portrait skills, along with my interest in identity, provides an opportunity to delve into the truth of who we are. Whether through a self-portrait or a colorful image that reflects personality, my goal is to visually convey the essence of human identity. Through this creative photographic process, I hope to educate others about how everyone is unique yet shares similar experiences. I aim to highlight the significance of these differences and commonalities, using photography to foster understanding, connection, and awareness. My work seeks to create a space where individuals can express themselves, relate to others, and find meaning in their own experiences.

I wish to develop my project by exploring visualizations of identity, incorporating elements like tableaux, but through the medium of documentary photography. However, in my work, I will stage these images to replicate the effect of a tableau, with the goal of creating an immersive atmosphere that encourages viewers to reflect on the multiple identities they embody. By staging these photographs in a controlled environment, I aim to capture the complexity of identity, inviting viewers to connect with the idea that, like myself, we all navigate different roles and personas depending on our surroundings and relationships.

Photographing myself, I believe, will better replicate the relatability of these experiences. The process of self-portraiture will allow me to convey the nuanced way in which we shape our identities in different contexts. Using both studio lighting and outdoor settings, I plan to photograph myself in a variety of situations—with friends, family, strangers, and also alone. The use of these different environments will help illustrate the contrasts between how we present ourselves in private and public spheres. By incorporating a tripod, I can take control of the framing and composition, enabling me to directly engage with the process and capture the intimate aspects of identity from various perspectives.

In combining these settings and interactions, my intention is to create a series of images that visually explore how identity is not fixed but is fluid and influenced by the people around us and the environments we inhabit. Through these photographs, I hope to evoke a sense of personal reflection in my audience, encouraging them to consider the many identities they embody throughout their lives.

Project:

Due to my strong interest in the concept of identity, I feel that exploring this theme through a personal, documentary approach will make for an engaging and insightful project. I aim to create a series of visual representations that delve into the complexities of identity, focusing on how people express different facets of themselves depending on context, relationships, and personal experiences. Drawing inspiration from my own experiences and observations, I will base my work on the idea that identity is fluid and constantly evolving.

With access to various subjects—friends, family, strangers, and personal encounters—I plan to explore identity from multiple angles, capturing different personalities, moods, and interactions. I believe that photographing people in different settings and with varying degrees of intimacy will help highlight the diverse roles we play in our daily lives. Using a mix of staged and candid imagery, I will aim to depict the complexity of identity through visual storytelling, showing how people project different versions of themselves based on the environment and relationships they are part of.

My work will also draw upon written accounts and personal stories from the individuals I photograph, incorporating their own reflections on identity and self-perception. I will use a combination of studio lighting and natural settings, such as outdoor locations or familiar environments, to further emphasize the contrast between the private and public aspects of identity. Through this approach, I hope to create a deeper understanding of how identity is shaped by our surroundings and interactions, offering a more personal and immersive experience for viewers.

This project serves not only as a reflection on my own understanding of identity but also as an exploration of how others navigate the complex and ever-changing nature of who they are. By documenting these different perspectives, I aim to share a multifaceted view of identity that resonates with anyone who has ever questioned or reflected upon their own sense of self. Ultimately, I hope this project fosters a greater awareness of the importance of self-expression and how our identities are shaped by the diverse roles we take on in life.

For this photoshoot, I got 4 of my team mates to take photos of, I asked them to go into different posing, with consistent, Rembrandt lighting. Its important to use this lighting technique as it adds a dramatic effect with a lot of the face being in the dark, while keeping it natural looking. It adds a small triangle under the eye that’s in the shadow, drawing more attention towards it. The eyes normally tell the biggest story in a photo so its important to keep the eyes easily visible in a photo. For the camera settings, I set it to manual with iso set to 200. This is to keep the images crisp, as well as giving me control over the focal length with the f-stop and exposure time with the shutter speed. This allowed me to experiment more with these two effects. For some of the shoots, I kept the camera on a tripod, but then decided to keep it off, since basketball isn’t a consistent, repetitive game. So to switch it up I kept changing the camera angle and position to keep it interesting and in the theme of an intense sport. After getting some studio shoots, I had a short amount of time left to get some photos in the indoor sports area. My main inspiration for these images was the sports photographer Neil Leifer.

I plan on doing more of a story like photoshoot next, but since this is my first photoshoot, I didn’t what to go straight into it, so I kept it light hearted and playful. This was to show the importance of basketball for these people, and how much enjoyment they get from playing it.

Here are 4 united portraits of my team mates, with the same Rembrandt style lighting for each. I asked them to keep a neutral face at first, but I ended up choosing different images, which presents there personality more, making this montage of images a bit more interesting. For example, harry (bottom right) put his headphones on because he’s always listening to music. I used a flash light on a 45 degree angle to there face, allowing me to keep the ISO as low as possible to get very crisp and high quality images.

Above I asked them to hold the ball in front of them, as its a common basketball pose. I think these images work better on there own but when I get to the experimenting phase I will try a multi-exposure or try to crop it so a montage will work well.

Here are two images that I edited in black and white with the settings above. For the top Image, there was a lot of the studio showing which I didn’t like so I used layer masks to remove it. However, for the lower image I didn’t end up cropping or layer masking the studio parts out, since I think it acts as a frame to the image, keeping the attention on the subject.

Here I experimented with selective colour fill to draw more attention towards the basketball, while keeping the rest in black and white. My friends face is very serious instead of deadpan, making this image more dramatic. I also used Rembrandt lighting again to further add a dramatic effect. I used a very slow shutter speed to give a sense of motion from the spinning ball, adding a sense of time to the image. I also like this image as it looks like those pictures which, when you change your viewing angle it changes the image shown.

This image at the top was heavily inspired by famous sports photography, like the one below it, a photo of LeBron James dunking from Dwyane Wade’s assist, leading the heats to victory, as well as being one of the most iconic basketball photos ever. To replicate it, I asked my friends to do a similar movement to the athletes. I shot this image portrait instead of landscape because I wanted my own twist on the image, as well as showing each of the subjects fully. The main difference between my image and Gash’s 2010 shot is that his is a documentary and mine is a tableaux. Here is my edited version of it:

I’m not to sure about this edit, where I increased the contrast, decreased the shadows and added a layer mask covering the subjects, as it look a little scary when it was suppose to be a light hearted image, so I think Ill leave the image as is.

Here is a montage I put together which I quite like above.

Here, I took a lot of inspiration from Tom Woods photos, where sometimes he would get teens to pose in the camera, however with my photo I took it in a studio instead of in the street. This photo here almost looks like a boy band which I find funny. I edited the colour grading a little bit to give an older look.

Explanation

With these photos, I hope to add to each of them over time to get more choice in the images I want to use so the chances of getting a good image is improved (e.g. with better lighting, emotion, angle, ext). I will likely use these photos in my story booklet at the start to build up to the main story with another basketball player I will be using, as well as adding ‘comic relief’ if the photos end up being a bit too dramatic. Some of the Neil Leifer style photos will also be used in the photoshoot to add to the overall basketball theme that I’m trying to achieve. I also like how none of these photos have my main subject in as I am trying to over exaugurated his love for the sport, that he isn’t included himself with the rest of the team. This will make my photos more dramatic with him in, as he is all alone in the booklet.

Shoot 2: arrange for a few friends to act as models and produce a fashion shoot using an urban/ street setting. (choose right time of the day), select appropriate location/ environment, models clothes, hair, make-up, poses and expressions.

Prompt style

William Klein’s visual style is bold and dynamic, capturing the energy and chaos of urban life. His high contrast black and white images are gritty and raw, often featuring unconventional compositions and close-up shots. Klein’s photographs are a visual assault on the senses, reflecting the vibrancy and intensity of the cities he captures.

Although these images are bot created, I do feel like I could recreate these, having some of my friends dress up and have quite bold makeup, not too much but enough to notice it. I could get them to look to at the camera or look away, i would only get their head and shoulders into the frame, and the background, I would need to town while it’s somewhat busy and have them stand still while I try and capture some good images. Although this is slightly different from William Klein’s images. It still has a small element of his work. The idea that they are dressed up all fancy and in the middle of the streets, almost as if the streets play a role as the studio where they are being photographed, which I quite like. It could be quite hard to capture as people in the background would be moving, therefore I would have to make sure my camera settings are right, I need to try and take the images during the day so that the models have more light on them. I do like how these images are in black and white as there isn’t anything in the background taking the attention away from the model. For example, the image on the top right has quite a few people in the background but there is something special about the model that stands out. It could be due to the fact that the model is in the centre of the image and most of her body is seen in the image or that her facial features tend to be the darkest and stand out the most. 

I would also like to try and get some staged images of the models in full, meaning having them stand in town and possibly pose for me or stand however they would like while they are dressed up. I would be using the town as my studio. Although the model is very important in my images but the people in the background hold a big importance as they are going to be in each image I take, the background will change every photo. I feel like when dong my photoshoot, the process of getting the model ready will take quite a long time as I need to make sure they stand out from the rest, they either have more dressed up clothing or more makeup than other, although in town I could come across other people dressed up, it could add to my image and make it look more mysterious. One thing William Klein kept in his images was the background focus, he didn’t blur the background which make everything important in the image, I feel like I would like to try and make the background blurry, this would make my images more original to me, it would also make the model in full focus, I don’t want to make the background too blurry that the background is unnoticeable . When dressing up my model I do need to be careful in the clothing that the model is wearing as my images will turn black and white. 

I would also like to try and get different poses where the model is looking at the camera and when the model is not looking to be able to see the difference, and spot which image holds more power. I believe that the model not focusing on the camera could make the image look better and more dynamic. William Klein has a mixture of images that I have taken inspiration from, and I believe his work will help me a lot during this project. I really like the bottom image on the left, where the model is walking across a zebra crossing as the model is wearing some stripes on her dress which blends well with the surroundings, this photo is obviously planned but that doesn’t take any of the meaning away from it. There is also another model in the background wearing a similar dress but in white. This makes the image look more detailed and it’s also showing me that no one else in the background is looking at the model in the black dress except the other model, even though they stand out they don’t catch other people’s attention, it’s almost a way of saying people can judge you but other people aren’t bothered about your presence so it doesn’t matter what your wearing, as long as your content.

For my first photoshoot, I went to St Malo where I was able to take my street photography. Henri Carter Bresson was my inspiration for this photoshoot so I tried to imitate his style so I focused on getting natural photos of people.

Henri Cartier Bresson inspired

People

Architecture

Although I was focusing on Henri Carter Bresson I also did want to take some photos where I focus on the architecture in St Malo.

I really liked this image above I found this interesting wall down one of the lanes where it had been heavily graffitied but on the side of it was a drain which worked well in my favor. When looking down from this angle the drain acts like a divide almost as if it is two images stuck together.

For this photo tried to use the pillars within the architecture to frame the picture as it was a beautiful building however the greenery within the middle open part really brightened up the image. The building itself is quite monitored with just the natural beiges of the brick which was used however having all the plants in the middle I found it added a lot more dimension to te image and it also made it more unique as it’s not something done very often or not to this degree.

Artist Case Study 1:

Jim Goldberg

Jim Goldberg is an influential American photographer and visual storyteller best known for his intimate and socially conscious work that explores the lives of marginalized individuals. His most renowned project is Raised by Wolves (1985), which captures the lives of homeless teenagers living in the streets of San Francisco during the 1980s. This project, which blends documentary photography with personal narratives, provides a raw and empathetic look at the struggles of these youth as they navigate survival, identity, and hardship.

Jim Goldberg was born in 1953 in New York City. He grew up in a family that fostered his creative interests, particularly in the realm of visual art. Goldberg attended the San Francisco Art Institute, where he began developing his photographic style. His education there helped shape his approach to photography as a tool for social commentary and personal storytelling.

The Raised by Wolves project, which Goldberg began in the early 1980s, is perhaps his most defining work. The title refers to the metaphorical idea of teenagers being abandoned or left to fend for themselves, with little or no support from family or society. Goldberg documented the lives of homeless teenagers living in the streets of San Francisco, focusing on their struggles and resilience.

What makes Raised by Wolves unique is Goldberg’s method of combining his photographs with the teenagers’ handwritten notes, journal entries, and letters. This combination of imagery and text gives a voice to the often overlooked and voiceless subjects in his work. It also allows the viewer to connect with the teenagers on a deeper level, revealing their personal experiences, dreams, fears, and moments of vulnerability.

The project provides a window into the social issues surrounding youth homelessness, but it also humanizes these teenagers in ways that challenge stereotypical portrayals. The images show them in a range of contexts: from moments of hardship to moments of defiance and joy. The handwritten text in the margins of the photographs often reads like personal diaries, bringing an emotional depth to the narrative.

Goldberg’s work is characterized by its unflinching realism and sensitivity. He often spends extended periods with his subjects, allowing him to develop trust and access to more intimate moments. His ability to capture the humanity of his subjects, particularly those living on the margins of society, is central to his approach. The combination of photography and text creates a dialogue between the image and the narrative, emphasizing the power of storytelling.

While Raised by Wolves is Goldberg’s most famous project, his body of work spans many years and addresses various social issues, including poverty, identity, and the human condition. Throughout his career, Goldberg has used his photography to challenge the viewer’s understanding of these issues and to highlight the resilience of individuals who are often ignored or stigmatized.

Artist Case Study 2:

Jo spence

Jo Spence (1934–1992) was a pioneering British photographer and activist, renowned for her deeply personal and socially engaged photographic work. Throughout her career, Spence used photography as a tool for self-exploration, political critique, and social change, tackling issues related to class, health, gender, and identity. Her work is known for its raw, unflinching portrayal of the human condition, particularly focusing on the realities of working-class life, illness, and the body’s transformation.

Jo Spence was born on June 6, 1934, in London, England, and grew up in a working-class family. After leaving school at the age of 15, she worked in a variety of jobs, including as a secretary and in the civil service. Her early life experiences in the working-class community shaped much of her later work, particularly her interest in class-based inequalities and the way they intersected with broader social issues.

In her early career, Spence worked primarily as a commercial photographer. She was a freelance photographer for several years and gained success for her work in the fashion and portraiture genres. However, she grew disillusioned with the commercial side of photography and began to focus on personal, experimental projects that questioned the nature of photographic representation.

Jo Spence’s photographic practice was deeply tied to her personal and political beliefs. Several key themes run through her work:

1. Class and Identity: Spence’s working-class background heavily influenced her work, and much of her photography addresses issues of class, social inequality, and identity. She used her own experiences to highlight the ways in which working-class individuals are often marginalized or erased in mainstream narratives.
2. Feminism and the Body: As a feminist, Spence critiqued traditional representations of women in the media and sought to reclaim control over the representation of her own body. In projects like The Picture of Health and her later series The Body Work (1987), Spence explored the intersections of gender, health, and the medical gaze, using photography to confront the societal expectations placed on women’s bodies.
3. Autobiography and Self-Representation: Spence’s work is also highly autobiographical. She used her own body and experiences as the subject of much of her work, allowing her to explore issues of identity, health, and personal transformation. Her photography often served as a means of empowerment and resistance to the societal forces that sought to control or define her.
4. Collaborative Approach: Spence was also committed to collaborative photography. She worked with others, including marginalized communities, to create photographs that were informed by the subjects’ perspectives rather than being imposed by the photographer’s gaze. She believed that photography could be a participatory, communal experience rather than one that objectified the subject.